Comforted by your Oddness
by TheFinalNitro
Summary: Ten years after the birth of baby Grace, Alo and Mini reflect on their first meeting. This is separated into three vignettes, first little ten year old Grace Creevey. Then Alo Creevey and finally Mini Creevey (née McGuinness)


A giddy explosion erupts from the small room in the small house outside of Bristol. The small redheaded girl bounced around her room, playing with her new puppy. She had been very good in Primary School, and for her tenth birthday she was given the puppy by her father. He had always given her gifts, spoiled her rotten when he had the chance and she loved every minute of that. Her mother, who she still adored even thought once she hit her teen years would most likely rebel against her, was a bit of a hard case. But rightfully so with her father so willing to please or make a joke.

Grace knew her parents loved each other, even if they fought from time to time. Grace was smart, she knew that those little spats meant nothing. Even when she was afraid that her parents would split, crying her eyes out to her uncle Richard. He told her she was wrong, she didn't believe him. But Uncle Rich knew everything, her dad told her that when she was young. '_Now Grace-y remember this, uncle Rich knows everything, especially more than your da_' she could her her father say. With his thick accent, hair brighter than hers and a smile that never left his face. Her puppy nipped her hand, wanting attention and his little teeth didn't hurt.

She pulled her hand away in surprise, "Eep! You sodding dog!" she cried as she held her hand.

She was more surprised than anything. The puppy barked and she was sure she saw a smile.

"Damn it Grace, do I have to clean out your moth?" a female voice called.

She heard the footfalls as they got closer and closer to Grace's room. She was in trouble, not big trouble because she knew sod wasn't as bad as some of the words her parent's had said. But apparently it bothered her mother. Grace looked up as her door opened and her tall mother entered. Well everyone to Grace were giants but her parents were still quite tall among the other giants.

"You're father will be home soon, and you know he doesn't like your potty mouth," Mini proclaimed and felt weird saying it.

She didn't mind if her daughter spoke her mind but she wanted to not get any notes home from a teacher about Grace saying some foul word that she had heard around the house. Alo had been terrible at censoring himself when he, as the clumsy guy he was, hurt himself. He wasn't as clumsy as he was when he was smoking weed all the time. But since he quit, mainly so he could chase his daughter around the fields without passing out and age had made things like the occasional spliff more of a treat and not a weekly or daily thing. Grace tried not to laugh, her father wasn't one peon anyone was afraid of. But before she could even make a smirk, she saw her mother's glare.

"Sorry momma, Beans bit me and it didn't hurt but it scared me," she muttered to Mini.

Mini came down to one knee, moved her daughter's ginger locks from near her eyes and kissed her forehead.

"If you swear again dad will take away the Nandos he is bringing home, it was his treat for another successful year," her mother tutted.

Her father had, as she'd been told, made the family farm profitable and it was due to a chance by. Her father bought a cow that made the news, Grace didn't know what it did but people loved the milk it made. But most people were buying milk from other cows by now, because the famous cow died five years ago. She barely remembered Chancey and never asked about her.

"I'll be good I swear.. I mean…" she giggled. Mini smiled, gave her another kiss and walked away.

On the couch, the night had gone well and Grace was asleep. Beans was sleeping outside her door. Once he was older they would put a dog bed in her room but they didn't want him to jump in her bed. She would end up playing with him, which was what Mini told Alo. He tried to help his daughter get Beans in her bed but he lost.

Mainly because he didn't want another fight, especially about something so trivial. Right now Mini was cuddling closer to him, which was always nice. Her warmth was radiating and the simple act of her arms around his waist, her cheek in the crook of his arm and he felt her nuzzle closer.

"Are you excited for tomorrow?" he asked and she looked up.

A bit confused, her eyebrow raised and she pulled away so she could see him. He looked down, her ice blue eyes locked with his own ocean blue eyes.

"Are we doing another interview for that dead cow?" she asked, he had been so used to her sarcasm that this made him smirk.

She didn't hate the Chancey, the cow had saved them from bankruptcy.

"Ever since Chancey became a TV star for that dumb commercial, it helped us out but no that is not what I'm talking about," he answered and wondered if she had really forgotten.

"Think about it, school is starting again," he assisted and she slapped his chest playfully.

"Just because we will have the house to ourselves again doesn't mean you should…" she sat playfully and he kissed her to shut her up.

It felt like their first kiss, it always felt like their first and it was the kiss he judged all kisses by. None compared to her lips, how she never used too much tongue. How she took that one quick breath, like her heart stopped and started again because of his kiss. As the kiss ended he smirked.

"Twelve years ago, Roundview, you called me cow shit and Rich bullshit. That was the moment I fell in love with you," he spoke with another laugh.

"We knew each other before that idiot," she corrected with her sarcastically loving ways, but she was blushing.

"Yeah but you never talked to me, plus that was the year that started everything, I've told you how I felt, why don't you tell your side?" he questioned, and could see her getting brighter.

She adjusted her self, sitting up and he quickly moved so his head was in her lap, his legs were hanging off the side of the couch.

"Pet my hair too," he added. "Don't push it farm boy," she cautioned as she twirled his hair.

She was young and knew whatever she said she could hurt Alo's feelings. But she knew after being with him ten years, married for eight of them. She knew that if she was blunt he would understand. She continued to twirl his red hair, the hair that their daughter had.

"It took a long time for me to get used to you Alo, and I know you know this. God I hated you at first… I was going though a lot and you were there at times when I needed you and the fact that you fuckin kept appearing at those moments and put up with my shit," she mused.

He smiled and it made her happy, he wasn't expecting some cheesy romance love at first sight. She had used him, because she thought he would piss off once he got laid. He had tried so hard to meet this goal after failing so fantastically. Maybe it was the heat in Morocco or maybe she was starting to like him.

"I'm sure you came once my lips touched yours," she declared. "I still do," he bantered back with her.

"More of that and you sleep out here big boy," she retorted and she continued to think about the year from hell.

The pain from the loss of Grace will always be there, and the gang always meets up, gets drunk and remembers. Because Grace will never be forgotten and baby Grace was a reminder or their loss. Because with death there is always life. A life lesson she would have like to learn much later in life.

"You always proved me wrong, I always thought you were like the rest of them and I was wrong," she said.

Her mother had taught her about guys, because of her bitter feelings towards the man who was Mini's father. Shelley went on about how men just wanted sex and bang they were gone. Mini had almost given up on love after Nick. But she gave him a shot, and she knew she would have regretted it had she not done so. She had spent quite a few nights, thinking about what life would be like without her daughter. It made her feel selfish and guilty, she hated these thoughts. But she was human and she would have them.

"When you fixed up the barn, was when I knew but I needed a kick in the ass," she confessed and Alo sat up.

His warm hand touched her cheek and she brought herself closer for another kiss. He was always tender with his kisses, he was never sloppy and she wouldn't admit to him. But the days they fought and ended up sleeping in separate rooms she would miss these kisses.

She was very stubborn but she had to because he was still child like. She wasn't going to change him but through the years he had changed himself. She could tell it was hard, but growing up was terrible and she was going through the same thing. She wanted to with her best mates, getting off her face and just being crazy but she wasn't sixteen. But she also wasn't eighty-six, so she would make sure they had fun. Bringing Grace to the beach, getting her that puppy, which Mini was starting to warm up to. But if it nipped her baby girl again she would make sure it would only eat soft food for the rest of its dog years. To say Mini was a protective mom would be like stating that water is wet, air needed to live and sex is wonderful. Especially theirs.

"Remember when Grace took her first steps?" he asked, "I love you Mini."

"I guess I love you back ginger minge," she giggled and kissed him again for the first time.


End file.
